Rebel MLAs addicted to power, says Sukhu; their reply: he is dictatorial

Kullu/Shimla: Taking aim at six disqualified MLAs of the Congress who have shifted loyalty to BJP, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu claimed on Monday that some people addicted to power had betrayed the mandate of the people by resorting to evil attempts to topple the state govt.The statement came even as the disqualified MLAs and three independent MLAs hit back at Sukhu, saying that he had shown his dictatorial face by filing police cases against an independent MLA and the father of a disqualified Congress legislator. Earlier, addressing a public gathering after unveiling and laying the foundation stone of 14 projects worth Rs 143 crore in Indora assembly constituency of Kangra district on Monday, Sukhu said, “The unscrupulous move of few to topple a democratically elected govt won’t be successful.”He said the public would never forget and forgive the attempts of the BJP to play with democracy by “dhan bal” (money power). He said the six disqualified MLAs of the Congress were being escorted by central security agencies in different regions. “They have now been shifted from a five-star hotel of Panchkula to Rishikesh on the banks of Ganga to wipe out their sins,” the CM added.He said these actions would be remembered as a black chapter in the history of the state. “They sold their souls for vested interests,” he added.On the other hand, disqualified Congress MLAs Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Ravi Thakur, Devendra Bhutto and Chaitanya Sharma, and independent MLAs Hoshyar Singh, Ashish Sharma and K L Thakur, in a joint statement, launched a counterattack at Sukhu. “What does the CM want to prove by raiding the houses of MLAs and their relatives without concrete evidence?” they said, adding that they were not going to take a step back and the fight would be taken to its logical end.The described the latest FIRs against Ashish Sharma and father of Chaitanya Sharma as “false cases”. “Govt is trying to humiliate us by running a repression campaign, to which people will respond appropriately,” they said. They claimed that the CM was calling them a traitor, but the people knew the real culprit.Earlier, Sukhu said the previous BJP govt had worsened the financial health of the state and a huge debt burden was accumulated by overspending. He said he took on the economic challenges boldly, realising that the system cannot run for long on the basis of debt. He added during the monsoon disaster last year, govt did its best to provide help to affected families, while central govt gave no financial aid. He said: “So far, the govt has been successful in curbing the corruption and the honest efforts have resulted in closure of the avenues of loot and generated an additional revenue of Rs 2,200 crore. It has been decided by the govt that the women would be provided Rs 1,500 per month under the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh-Samman Nidhi Yojna.”Sukhu also unveiled and laid the foundation of nine projects worth Rs 75 crore in Bhattiyat assembly constituency of Chamba district.